Memorandum in British Museum relating to revocation of the Degree of Baronet-Dispute between Baronets and the younger sons of Viscounts and Barons-Royal Decree, 28th May 1612, settling this dispute-Commission to the Lord Chancellor to treat with Baronets-Final Decree EARLY HISTORY OF THE BARONETAGE OF SCOTLAND Colonisation of Newfoundland-Charter to Sir William Alex- ander and Sir Robert Gordon-Creation of Baronets of Nova Scotia for purposes of colonisation-Letters from James 1. to the Privy Council of Scotland-Proclamation at Edinburgh-Death of James the First-Adoption of the Scheme by Charles 1.-Creation of Sir Robert Gordon first Baronet of Scotland-Abstract of Royal Charter granting the territory in Nova Scotia to the Baronets- Letters of Charles 1. to the Privy Council in Scotland- Royal Proclamations-Confirmation of Charters of James 1. List of the twenty-one covenanted Privileges conferred on the LATER HISTORY OF THE BARONETAGE Royal Warrant of 6th December 1783-General Meeting of Baronets to consider same-Their protest against the Warrant Suspension of part of the Warrant-Notes of the Badge suggested for the Ulster Baronets-Letter of Henry Rich, Earl of Holland, to the Officers of Arms-Reply of the Officers-General Meeting of the Baronetage-Peti- tions to William iv.-Report of the College of Arms- Petition to Queen Victoria-Formation of the Committee of the Baronetage for Privileges-Short account of its history-Later history of the Baronetage of Scotland- A HISTORY OF THE BARONETAGE CHAPTER I THE ERECTION OF THE DEGREE THE Baronetage as now existing dates from the 22nd May 1611, when the first Patents were granted by King James 1. on the erection of this degree. The dignity is evidently of older date, as Sir Thomas de la More, who belonged to the Court of Edward II., when describing the battle of Barrenberg, fought in 1321, wrote, Capitur in campo comes Lancastriæ, Barones et Baronetti commilitones ejus et milites circa 95, reliquis fuga servatis'; and in the thirteenth year of the reign of Edward III. that monarch by Letters Patent conferred the dignity of a Baronet on William de la Pole and his heirs in return for a sum of money, of which the King was greatly in need for military purposes. Other Baronetcies were similarly created, and they were for some time numerous, particularly in Ireland ; but with the exception of a few cases in Ireland, the dignity had not been regularly hereditary, and long before the reign of James 1. it had become practically unknown. It is believed that the discovery of William de la Pole's patent by Sir Robert Cotton was the cause of the revival of the title of Baronet in 1611. Others give the credit to Sir A 1; Thomas Shirley of Wiston, as in 1615 his son made a claim on account of his father's services in connection with the erection of the dignity. The word Baronettus, Anglice Baronet, at the time of the institution of the dignity by James I., was consequently not a new word, but had been used in France as well as in England. It frequently occurs in our old writers and records, and as a word implying a name of dignity, as Selden, Spelman, and others have observed. In England it had been used in two senses for a knight banneret, and for baronet when that has expressed (as it often did in the olden times) a parliamentary baron. As an example of the former meaning, Thomas Walsingham, who lived and wrote under Henry vi., when describing the battle of Strivelin, which took place in 1313, between Edward 11., King of England, and Robert 1., King of Scotland, says of the English: Capti sunt autem et in custodia detenti barones et baronetti viginti duo, milites sexaginta octo, etc. Summa vero totalis Summa vero totalis quam comitum baronum et baronettorum quam militum inter fectorum et captorum ibidem centum quinquaginta quatuor,' etc. As an example of the word Baronet being used for banneret, as expressing a Baron or Lord of Parliament, the fourth clause of the second statute of the fifth year of the reign of Richard II. commands every archbishop, duke, earl, baronet, etc., on summons to appear in Parliament according to ancient use on pain of amercement. Owing either to a similarity of sound, or for some other reason, many have supposed the word Baronet is a modern |